Charge Controllers

Charge controllers or voltage regulators protect batteries by trying to keep them fully charged without over-charging. When the load is drawing power, the controller allows the charge to flow from the generation source into the battery, the load, or both. .  Electronic circuitry in the regulator measures battery voltage.  As voltage rises, the battery’s state-of-charge (SOC) increases.  At some voltage, (which changes for different types of batteries and is affected by fluctuations in temperature), the regulator will limit the charging of the battery. Controllers will also sense when loads have taken too much energy from batteries and will stop the flow until sufficient charge is restored to the batteries. This last feature can greatly extend the battery's lifetime.

Advanced features in some charge controllers include: low voltage disconnect (LVD), meters, lighting controls, adjustable settings for different battery types, auto equalization, fusing, temperature compensation and reverse polarity protection.  Some regulators charge using pulse width modulation (PWM) while others use simple on/off schemes. The cost of controllers generally depends on the ampere capacity your system requires and the advanced features you have selected.

Contact us by Phone (907)561-7941, Fax (907)561-7946, Email or U.S. Postal Mail 145 West Dimond, Anchorage, AK, 99515

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